Affordable Health Care Advocacy

1/18/2017

Congressional leadership has expressed that health care reform will be a top priority in the new year. Our community counts on health care coverage to access necessary treatments and care.

We are working with other organizations that advocate on behalf of people with chronic, serious, and life-threatening diseases to educate the incoming administration and Congress on the unique needs of our community.

On December 14th, we issued a letter to President-elect Trump and Congressional leadership explaining the critical role that high-quality and affordable health insurance plays in helping our community access essential treatments and care, and expressing our desire to work together in creating a health care system that benefits all Americans. See below for the full text of the letter and a list of the organizations that joined us in this effort.

What you can do: Congress needs to hear from you about the vital role that adequate, affordable health care coverage plays in helping people with SADS live longer, healthier lives. We encourage you to share your story with your member of Congress. In your email, be sure to include details about your care and coverage and why it is important.

The next four years present an opportunity to build a health policy agenda for all Americans. We write on behalf of the millions of Americans living with chronic, serious and life-threatening diseases who need access to affordable health insurance and quality health care.

The individuals we represent have daily health care demands that can span the course of a lifetime. Every day, this population grapples with managing their health needs while navigating complex insurance plans within a fragmented delivery system.

Americans who rely heavily on the health care system must be assured of adequate and affordable insurance that covers their health care needs. The high cost of care and inadequate insurance has led many to skip or delay care. They deserve a health care system that will help enable them to lead longer, healthier lives.

Policies that expand access to coverage, such as those that prevent preexisting condition exclusions and allow young people to remain on their parents’ plans until age 26, are critically important to this population. These policies alone, however, are not enough to ensure meaningful access to health care.

We look forward to working with you and your Administration to ensure that the needs of the patients we represent are fully considered as the health insurance and health care systems are reevaluated.